Tony Baldry

Sir Tony Baldry MP was appointed a Privy Counsellor on Wednesday of this week, entitling him to be known as Rt Hon Sir Tony Baldry MP. This is a well-deserved honour for a long-serving Member of Parliament who served in a number of ministerial posts under Maggie Thatcher and John Major and who has been a consistently first class constituency MP. More recently, he has been appointed Second Church Estates Commissioner with responsibility for maintaining the link between the government and the established Church of England. In this role, he will have to take legislation through the House if the Church decides to agree the consecration of women bishops. Surely a potential cross that deserves recognition?

I can hear the hard line lefties of Banbury decrying the very existence of what they would describe as a mediaeval anachronism but this is a body that dates back to the Saxon Witan and that has played a significant role throughout the centuries.

It is interesting that members of the Privy Council are “counsellors” and not “councillors”. The significance is that their role is to give “counsel” to the sovereign and not as members of a “council”.

There is no limit to the size of the Privy Council and there are some 600 members but they are not entitled to attend meetings as of right but by invitation.

Congratulations, Sir Tony. You have worked hard for this and you deserve the recognition and esteem it brings.